Dennis Apel is a longtime antiwar activist and the co-founder, along with his wife Tensie Hernandez, of our sister house Catholic Worker community in Guadalupe, CA. In 2016, Apel and LACW Jeff Dietrich, served four months in federal prison for “crossing the line” during a protest at Vandenberg Air Force Base marking the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and then refusing to comply with probation.

In “Crossing the Line,” Deborah Tobola weaves together a narrative using journal entries written by Apel during his imprisonment that were originally published by the Santa Barbara Independent. Formerly incarcerated actors from Poetic Justice Project help bring the story of this longtime peace activist to life in a play that is authentic and accessible.